Shining Armor hummed softly to himself as he brushed his hair, gaze lingering on his reflection before him. His soft features were slowly hardening, losing their boyish edge and gaining a firmness that made him proud to see. Gone was the slightly rounded, out-of-shape young colt he had known from his younger years, now he was an adult.

Sure he was only just barely an adult, who still lived at home, but he could vote, and drink. It didn't matter that his birthday had only just come and gone, he was finally no longer a child. A thought which prompted him to look about his room and realize that it needed a bit of redecorating.

Posters for his favorite bands, and hoof ball team covered the walls while laundry lay crumpled in a heap on the floor. His bed was unmade, and his desk was in a truly appalling state, with papers littering its surface haphazardly. Left there after a long night of studying, Shining Armor didn't really feel like dealing with them at the moment.

“There,” he muttered to himself.

Turning his head left, then right, the male eyed his reflection and gave it a final nod of approval. His tangled mess of multi-hued blue hair had been tamed, more or less anyway. He didn't care about his appearance so much that he did it up in any particular style save for not a complete disaster.

Putting down the brush, Shining Armor grabbed his saddlebags from atop his bed and throw them on his back. Weighed down by a few books, they were off-balance though that would change once he found his lunch. That would wait, however, as at the moment he was trotting down the hall towards the stairs which lead to the main floor.

He didn't make it there, at least not right away, as he caught sight of the strange empty room next to his own. Long used as a storage space for his father’s telescopes, it had been cleaned recently and was now barren. Though smaller than his own, it was still fairly large and had three large windows that overlooked Canterlot.

Pushing back his own curiosity, Shining Armor trotted down the hall, passing the bathroom and glancing down the stairs. A sudden whiz, thwap prompted the stallion to turn towards the third bedroom, where a soft purple glow could be seen. Trotting in that direction, he passed by a utility closet, and the open space separating him and his sister’s wing from their parents.

“Didn't burn your mane again, I hope,” Shining Armor exclaimed.

He pushed open the door and found that his younger sister was sitting on the floor with a dazed look on her face. Unlike his room, Twilight's was covered in bookshelves and stunk not like cologne, but burnt hair. The young mare herself sported only a small singe mark at the end of her muzzle, which created a lingering trail of smoke.

“Well that wasn't supposed to happen,” Twilight muttered.

Shining Armor sighed and shook his head. “Don't tell me you were trying that lightning bolt spell again. What did mom say about doing that in the house?”

“I wasn't!” Twilight whined, scampering up to her hooves. “I was just trying to conjure a few sparks, honest!”

“Then how did you get blown right off your chair?” Shining Armor asked, gesturing to the toppled piece of furniture resting nearby.

“I uh… thought it might work better if I substituted a rune or two,” Twilight meekly replied.

Shining Armor planted his hoof against his forehead. “You’re still in high school Twily. Save that kind of experimentation when you’re in college or at least out of the house.”

“Oh come on. You know that's only a technicality!” Twilight whined. “I’ve had enough credits to graduate since I was twelve!”

“And why haven't you graduated?” Shining Armor retorted.

Twilight frowned and crossed her hooves over her chest. “Because some dummy thinks you need to learn classic literature and physical education.”

“Which means you’re still a high school student and still can't do anything like this. Now open a window and get some air in here. You’ll set off the fire wards again,” Shining Armor ordered.

“Yes big brother,” Twilight griped, trotting over to her desk above which hung a large sliding window.

Shining Armor merely shook his head as he trotted away, walking down the large stairs at the center of the home. Upon hitting the landing, he took a left, and walked through the living room, into the dining area. Where his father sat, a newspaper in front of him, and a plate of pancakes sitting next to him.

“Hey son,” Nightlight greeted without looking up. “Have a good sleep?”

“Yeah, not bad,” Shining Armor replied, seating himself across from the older stallion.

“Oh?” Nightlight inquired, glancing over his paper. “I thought otherwise, given how late you got in last night. Don't tell me Cadance was keeping you for some extra special study session.”

“Daad,” Shining Armor whined. “It wasn't anything like that. We really were studying. Today is the first day of college and I don't want to look like a fool.”

“You went all the way across town to your girlfriend's apartment and all you did was study? I’m kinda disappointed in you son,” Nightlight exclaimed with a smirk.

“Okay, so maybe we fooled around a little…” Shining Armor muttered.

“Nightlight!” yelled a female voice from the attached kitchen. “Are you being weird about Shining Armor’s love life again?”

“I’m just teasing him, relax honey!” Nightlight shouted back. “He knows I’m just having a laugh.”

“Well tell him to get his butt in here before he leaves for school. I don't want to miss him,” bellowed the voice.

“You heard your mother. Better go see she’s got for ya before she bites my head off,” Nightlight exclaimed.

“Sure dad,” Shining Armor remarked.

The young stallion trotted around the table, and into the large, open-ended kitchen where his mother waited. The mare in question was currently packing several lunch boxes while making pancakes, as well as reading a book. Upon hearing her son enter the room, she put the half-written tome down and took the pan off the heat.

“Ahh, there you are. I was wondering if you were going to see your dear old mother before you left on your first day,” exclaimed the mare in a dejected tone.

Shining Armor rolled his eyes and planted a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “You know I wouldn't do that to you.”

“That's because we raised you right,” Twilight Velvet declared, turning around and hugging the young stallion tightly. “Oh, it makes me so proud to see that you’re finally setting off on your own. Why it only feels like yesterday when you were running around in your cardboard guard outfit talking about how you were going to protect the princess.”

“Mooom,” whined the stallion who struggled to escape his mother’s grip. “I was six!”

“Yes well, you were also adorable,” Twilight Velvet exclaimed, reluctantly releasing the stallion. “It's so good to see you spreading your wings and working towards your goal of becoming a royal guard. I just know you’ll be able to once you finish college.”

“If I pass,” Shining Armor corrected. “I’m not Twilight you know. It's not guaranteed that I’ll get a good grade.”

“Don't compare yourself to your sister,” Twilight Velvet chided. “She is a special young girl with her own sets of problems.”

“True. I don't have a latent pyromania I struggle to contain,” Shining Armor mused.

“She is not a pyromaniac. She just doesn't always think everything through to the end,” Twilight Velvet muttered.

“You know for a genius she sure does leap before she looks a lot,” Shining Armor pointed out.

Twilight Velvet sighed. “Your sister suffers from what we in the medical community call, being young. Once she has a chance to mature and make some friends she’ll slow down. I’m sure of it.”

“I hope so. I don't want you guys to have to sell the house because our insurance premiums keep going up,” Shining Armor teased.

“Oh I’m sure it will be alright,” Twilight Velvet exclaimed, thrusting a metal box into Shining Armor’s hooves. “Here, I packed you something special today.”

“I swear if you cut my sandwiches into smiley faces again…” Shining Armor muttered.

“I was tempted, but no. I just made your favorite salad and packed one of those eclairs you enjoy,” Twilight Velvet corrected.

“Ooh sweet,” Shining Armor muttered, tucking the box into his bags. “Well, I’m going to start heading out then. I planned on stopping at the bakery on thirty-second street today.”

“Leaving so soon? But I made pancakes,” Twilight Velvet exclaimed, levitating a plate of the aforementioned baked goods in front of his face.

“I know but they are making this fancy milk bread today and my buddies say it's to die for,” Shining Armor retorted.

“Don't forget to pick up the exchange student that's staying with us,” Twilight Velvet shouted.

Shining Armor paused midway through the door, and turned back to his mother with a confused look on his face. “What was that last part?” he asked.

“You know, the exchange student from Stratsburg,” Twilight Velvet replied. “We told you about them earlier this week. Apparently, they are coming to study at the same college like you.”

“Wait, why is he staying here then? Isn't he an adult? Also, I don't remember hearing about this at all,” Shining Armor declared.

Twilight Velvet cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. “Really? I told Twilight to pass along the information package that his therapist sent ahead of his arrival.”

“Wait, therapist? What exactly is going on?” Shining Armor demanded.

“We are housing a foreign exchange student for a little while, because he is an orphan who was abused for his unique appearance,” Twilight Velvet explained. “My friend Nebula mentioned that he was having a hard time finding a place to stay because everyone was leery of housing an adult.”

“So you thought putting him here would be the best idea?” Shining Armor challenged.

“Why not?” Twilight Velvet exclaimed. “We have a large enough house after all.”

“I mean I guess,” Shining Armor admitted.

Twilight Velvet walked up to her son, and gently placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I’m not telling you that you have to be friends with him or anything. He's just had a bit of a hard life so far and needs to know what a real family looks like.”

“Ahh, I guess that makes sense,” Shining Armor murmured.

“It will only be for the school year,” Twilight Velvet assured. “After that, he’ll be finding his own apartment or moving back to Stratsburg.”

“Alright then. What's his name anyway?” Shining Armor inquired.

Twilight Velvet smiled. “Crystal Throne.”

Author's Note

This is part of the 12 days of christmas, head over here to keep track of all the cool stuff coming down the pipes. If you want to ensure I can afford to keep doing stuff like this, consider backing me over on Subscribestar or Patreon.